Demanded Recount: Readers Vote Ovechkin Worst Local Athlete

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Every year, Washingtonian Magazine publishes its “Best of Washington” issue. Amongst bars, restaurants and businesses, the magazine also polls local residents on other not-so-edible things, including “Worst Local Athlete”.

Caution: The voting results you’re about to read are disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.

Just one year after being voted local hero in the same publication, Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin was named Washingtonian Magazine’s Worst Local Athlete for 2012.

Wait. So the most popular guy on the only Washington team that has done anything of note in the last five years is the worst?

The guy that was fifth in the league in goals scored last year, who is also arguably one of the best wingers in the game, is the worst?

I’m not blaming the magazine. They simply tally the votes and publish the local voice. But I will most certainly blame the voters. And even if they’d like to use the excuse that Ovechkin had a down year and that his offseason commitment is suspect, I still wouldn’t listen. Do you know how many other worthless athletes there are in this town?

Take the Washington Wizards for example. Last season, you could have taken any one of Rashard Lewis, Jordan Crawford or Andray Blatche and made strong cases for why each of them deserved the label of ‘Worst Local Athlete’ (noting different explanations for each).

Giving just the slightest bit of credit, Washingtonian did mention that Wizards forward Andray Blatche was also “unpopular” when it came to voting for worst local athlete this year. But some how, some way, voters thought that Alex Ovechkin was even worse than the wannabe power forward that spends more time in nightclubs than he does the gym. Perhaps local nightclubs give Blatche the exception?

And not that I wasn’t pleased with the Redskins as a real team last season, but there were even a few guys on that squad that were worse than Ovi.

You mean to tell me that DeAngelo Hall was more beloved than Ovechkin? DeAngelo watched more opponents run by him than Ovi had assists last year. The results are simply unjustified.

Whether the Washingtonian Magazine needs to desperately change the way they poll the city, or the voters themselves need to be smacked over the head with an intelligent stick, something has to change. The Great 8 is clearly not the town’s worst athlete.

Check out Dan Steinberg’s opinion here, in the Washington Post.